Jersey Village 74, Cy Woods 73: Devastating.

2015 Record: 4-5, 4-4 in District 17-6A

Photo by Billy Schuerman, The Crimson Connection

Man... I'm having an incredibly difficult time trying to process this, and I have no idea where to start. This game defied all logic. Name any play and any possible outcome for a play, and this game had it all.

- Both teams combined for 147 points. Will they even come close to this score during basketball season?
- Both teams combined for 1,642 total yards of offense. Or... 0.93 miles.
- Both teams (!!!!!!!) surpassed the district's record for points in a single game.
- Just about every record under the sun (well, technically the moon [no wait, it was cloudy, so we couldn't see the moon]) was broken. Let's just say that both teams' record books weren't the only ones that needed changing after this game....

The 2015 Cypress Woods Wildcats can probably be summed up in one word: almost. Almost completed a comeback against Cy Creek. Almost found a way to escape the highest scoring game in this district's history. Almost clawed their way back from a 1-3 start in district play. But, as we all know, there's no rhyme or reason in this district, so anything and everything can and will happen. Before you go all Jim Mora on me with "PLAYOFFS????????????" just remember that the math says that there's still a chance.

Out of the Wildcats' 5 losses this season.... this one was by far the most devastating. Quite possibly the most devastating loss in Cy Woods' football history. Even a historic night on offense was not enough for Cy Woods.... because Jersey Village's night on offense was even more historic, and that made all the difference in the Falcons' 74-73 victory in a game that the Wildcats sorely needed to win.

Deshun Qualls.... you have to tip your hat to him. He was absolutely sensational for Jersey Village. OK, that's an understatement. His performance in this game probably won't be replicated for decades. Never seen anything like what he did, and I probably won't see anything like that again for 20 years. He made one unbelievable throw after another, and Rokeem Paul, Austin Lynch, and Christian Green made one unbelievable catch after another. He kept plays alive with his feet, and his receivers finished them off. Unreal effort all around.

Qualls joins Collin Rock, Logan Taylor (Cy-Fair 2011-12), and Troy Mitchell (Cy Falls 2010-11), as the only starting quarterbacks in the district to win multiple starts against the Wildcats. However, out of this quartet, Qualls is the only one to go 3-0 against Cy Woods.

So, What Happened Was....

Deshun Qualls became Kyler Murray.

On a little more serious note, this was the most chaotic football game I have ever seen. I have never seen a losing team score 70 points.

It looked as though it would be a blowout early, as the Falcons scored on all 4 of their possessions in the 1st quarter. Deshun Qualls opened up the scoring with a 60-yard touchdown run on 3rd and..... 26. Qualls having a hand in a Jersey Village touchdown would be the running theme of this game. He struck again with a 23-yard touchdown run. Bryson Powers put Woods on the board as he broke ∞ tackles to score from 36 yards out. One play later, Qualls threw a bomb, and Austin Lynch made an off-balance catch, and he somehow regained his balance and broke free for an 82-yard touchdown. Josh Bland scored on a 15-yard run to put JV up 27-7, but C.J. Jones was able to regain some positive momentum for Woods as he had a 10-yard touchdown run.

End 1st: JV 27, Woods 13

C.J.'s first touchdown run sparked a 31-0 run that gave the Wildcats the lead at halftime. Bryson Powers and Jordan Johnson connected for 3 touchdowns. The first went for 48 yards, and the other two capped off one-play drives good for 62 and 60 yards. Bryson also had a 1-yard TD run. Qualls found Christian Green, who dove to make a 13-yard touchdown catch shortly before halftime to snap the run.

Halftime: Woods 38, JV 33

Qualls opened up the scoring in the 2nd half when he hit Rokeem Paul for 76 yards. Then, he found Austin Lynch again, this time from 59 yards out. Bryson responded with a 4-yard scoring run. Qualls had the Falcons on the move again, but that drive ended abruptly after Bland coughed up the ball, and Trent Bird fell on it. Two plays later, C.J. Jones left everyone in the dust, scoring on an 85-yard run. Qualls found Christian Green for the 2nd time; that was a 22-yard connection. The Wildcats blocked what would have been the go-ahead extra point, so we entered the final 12 minutes in a deadlock.

End 3rd: Woods 52, JV 52

On the first play of the 4th quarter, Rokeem Paul won a jumpball battle with Jordan Johnson at the Cy Woods 5. Josh Bland coughed up the ball once again at the goal line, and Jordan emerged with the ball and returned it all the way down to the Falcons' 33-yard line. C.J. turned that takeaway into points with a 10-yard run. But, Deshun Qualls had an answer for everything. His next answer was a 2-yard touchdown run. C.J., however, kept Woods in the lead by blocking the extra point. Terrell Brown picked up the loose ball and almost gave the Wildcats 2 points, but he was caught at the 15-yard line of Jersey Village. One play later, C.J. scored on a 75-yard scamper. Again, he outran everyone. On the ensuing Falcon possession, Josh Marvin had a huge interception. Unfortunately, this takeaway turned into a giveaway, as C.J. put the ball on the ground inside the Falcon 5, and Juwan Morgan recovered, and returned it to the Woods 35. Morgan actually lost the ball himself, but Clabe Holmes backed him up. And on the next Falcon drive, Qualls scored to tie the game at 66. Bryson responded.... well, he coughed it up in the end zone, and Skylar Schulz had a chance to recover it, but it skipped off of his hands, as well. Ultimately, Jonathan Laven, the center, emerged from the pile with the ball, and well... that's a touchdown.

Unfortunately, the Wildcat defense could not stop the ensuing Jersey Village possession, which turned out to be the decisive drive of the game. Qualls (who else) capped it off by finding Christian Green for the 3rd time in this game, and he (again, who else) put the Falcons in front with a 2-point conversion.

The Wildcats were left with 69 seconds on the clock. Play #1 started off well enough, as C.J. ran for 8 yards. An incomplete pass brought up 3rd down. C.J. failed to get back to the line of scrimmage on a play that Woods ran at least 50 times in this game, and that set up a 4th down, which saw Bryson's pass fall to the ground, incomplete. Jaylen Miller, who attended Cy Woods for 3 years, broke up the pass and made the play that sent his friends to a crushing defeat.

Final: JV 74, Woods 73

Ground

C.J. Jones and Bryson Powers had their way with the Falcon defense. C.J. ran for 346 yards on 32 carries and scored 4 touchdowns. It's the 2nd time in which he has scored 4 rushing touchdowns in a single game, and the 346 yards is a new Cy Woods single-game record. Meanwhile, Bryson ran for 188 and 3 touchdowns on 24 carries.

In all, the Wildcats ran for 547 yards, which is a new team single-game record. The previous high was 464 in the 2011 regular-season finale against Cy Springs.

And yet... it was not enough.

C.J. Jones: 32 carries, 346 yards, 4 TD
Bryson Powers: 24 carries, 188 yards, 3 TD
R.J. Harmon: 2 carries, 13 yards

Air

Jordan Johnson had a night to remember as he caught 4 passes for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns. He's now tied with Gary Tesch for the most receiving touchdowns in Cy Woods history. Jordan also tied the Cy Woods single-season record for most receiving touchdowns in a single season with 10, which had been shared by Fredrick Anderson and Gary.

And yet... it was not enough.

Bryson Powers: 5-13, 217 yards, 3 TD, INT

Jordan Johnson: 4 catches, 199 yards, 3 TD
Jack Barrientez: 1 catch, 18 yards

Defense

They allowed 886 yards. That's their story for this game. They had their moments where they punished Deshun Qualls, but they were at his mercy all night long.

Josh Marvin, a seldom-used senior linebacker who found himself pressed into duty, had the game of his life as he got 2.5 sacks and an interception. If only he could've run that pick back for a touchdown.....

Interceptions: Josh Marvin 1 (returned 30 yards)

If only Jordan could've run the fumble he recovered back for a touchdown....

Fumbles recovered: Trent Bird 1, Jordan Johnson 1 (returned 67 yards), Jonathan Laven (fell on ball in endzone for a touchdown)

Sacks: Josh Marvin 2.5 (35 yards lost), Neil Chambers 1 (1 yard lost), Trent Bird 0.5 (5 yards lost), Brandon Love 0.5 (5 yards lost)

They also got to Qualls for a 14 yard loss in the 2nd (I think Marvin was in on that play) and another time for 3 yards in the 3rd.

Special Teams

Luis Reyes made 5 extra points, and he is now the highest-scoring kicker in Cy Woods history with 138 points. The previous record for points scored by a Wildcat kicker (career) was 133. That record was held by my good friend, Andrew Klink.

If only C.J. could've picked up that blocked extra point cleanly.....

If only Terrell Brown had enough left in his tank to run another blocked extra point back for 2 points....


PSA

Parents, if you're going to let your kids run around during the game (I have no earthly idea as to why you would allow them to do this in the first place, but I guess this lack of understanding comes from me not being a parent so I wouldn't know...), please, PLEASE, keep an eye on them.

During this game, I saw two little girls slip off the bleachers (in the lower section) and hit themselves on the cement. Yes, they were being watched over. Thankfully, neither of them seemed to be seriously hurt.

Looking Ahead

The Wildcats will wrap up the 2015 regular season at the Berry Center on Saturday, November 7, against the Cy Springs Panthers. Kickoff is at 1:00. Depending on what happens with Cy-Fair, this game may serve as the swan song for the Class of 2016.

Jersey Village 44, Cy Woods 38: Gratification Delayed

2014 Record: 5-4, 5-3 in District 17-6A

No, I wasn't at this game either. I would have gone, had my trip to the airport not been a nightmare. On the flip side, I'm extremely grateful that I got to spend one more day with my aunt before she flies back to Australia. I can't wait to read all of your sky-is-falling comments.

Well, we're at the absolute end of the wire now, and the playoff picture is murkier than ever, as two playoff spots in District 17-6A are still up for grabs. The Cats, with a win in this game, would have clinched a playoff spot. But with this 44-38 loss to Jersey Village, they've now fallen into a 3-way tie for 3rd, and depending on Saturday's Creek-Falls matchup, it could be a 4-way tie....

This was definitely a bitter pill for the Cats to swallow; I'm sure they felt that they let this game get away. That's not taking anything away from the Falcons, though; they won this game because they made the plays that they needed to make, and they made a few more plays than Woods. But, the Cats are still very much in the fight. They're 2-1 against their main competition for a playoff spot (Fair, Creek, and JV).

This loss made the win against Cy-Fair so much more critical in the grand scheme of this regular season. The Cats might have gone 1-2 in this torturous 3-game stretch that pitted them against the district's top offense and top 2 defenses, but one win is ∞ times better than none, obviously. Drop all 3, and this team's playoff hopes would have gone down in flames.

So, What Happened Was...

Man... they really did let this game get away in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

Nick Hooper put the Cats on the board first with his 7-yard TD run in the 1st. The Falcons responded with a nice drive, but the defense held them to a field goal. Jordan Johnson took the ensuing kickoff and ran 93 yards for a score. And finally, a muffed punt from Bryson Powers was recovered by JV and gave them the ball in the Cy Woods red zone to end the 1st quarter.

End 1st: Woods 14, JV 3

Nothing came of that muffed punt, though. But... the tide of this game would soon turn. Jersey Village took a 17-14 lead as Deshun Qualls connected on TD passes to Christian Taylor and Rokeem Paul. Nick responded with a 22-yard touchdown run as the Cats retook the lead, but Qualls had the final say in the period as he threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Josh Bland shortly before halftime.

Halftime: JV 24, Woods 21

The only points that the Cats could muster up in the 3rd was a 24-yard field goal from Luis Reyes. Qualls dominated the 2nd and 3rd quarters; he found Christian Taylor for the 2nd time in the game, and he'd punch it in himself from 1 yard out.

End 3rd: JV 38, Woods 24

LaVance Moore seemingly ended the game with his 46-yard TD run that put the Falcons up 44-24. But wait a minute.... the Cats hit back with just one play. Taylor Tesch caught one and took it 75 yards to the house. The defense got a 3-and-out on their next series, and then Jordan Johnson scored for the 2nd time in the game with a 53-yard TD reception to make it a 1-score game. Thanks to a brilliant kickoff from Reyes, the Falcons were pinned at their own 4. Unfortunately.... the Wildcat defense couldn't get that last stop. Brandon Major had a 12-yard catch on 3rd & 7 from the 7, and Qualls converted a 3rd & 4 with a 6-yard run for the final nail.

Final: Jersey Village 44, Cy Woods 38

Turning Point

Jersey Village went on a 35-10 run in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and that attack was spearheaded by their QB, Deshun Qualls, who just shredded the Cats defense.

Get them off the field, please: The Falcons were 13-18 on 3rd down conversions.

Ground

As usual, Nick Hooper was all over the stat sheet; he carried the ball 19 times for 98 yards and scored twice. Or, if we're going by percentages, he accounted for 73% of the carries, 62% of the Cats' rushing yards, and 100% of their rushing touchdowns.

All stats per TSRN.

Nick Hooper: 19 carries, 98 yards, 2 TD
C.J. Jones: 3 carries, 48 yards
Jordan Johnson: 2 carries, 6 yards
R.J. Harmon: 2 carries, 6 yards

Air

Out of all the quarterbacks that tried their luck against the vaunted Falcon secondary, Nick put up the most passing yards against them this season. 128 of those came on his 2 touchdown throws to Taylor Tesch and Jordan Johnson. A pessimist may say that those numbers really puffed up his final line, but those 2 scores through the air could not have come at a more crucial time.

Nick Hooper: 11-22, 225 yards, 2 TD

Taylor Tesch: 3 recs, 93 yards, TD
C.J. Jones: 2 recs, 38 yards
Jared Taylor: 2 recs, 15 yards
Zac Duncan 2 recs, 12 yards
Jordan Johnson: 1 rec, 53 yards, TD
Tre' Hart: 1 rec, 14 yards

Defense

The defense just couldn't find an answer for Deshun Qualls, who was responsible for 399 of Jersey Village's 502 yards of offense. They couldn't kick the Falcons off the field on 3rd down, either. That 13-18 figure on 3rd downs for Jersey Village is most likely the key statistic of the game. Plain and simple, the Wildcat defense just didn't get it done. But I know they'll bounce back.

Sacks: Wade Carson 1 (8 yards lost)
Interceptions: Shane Lawless 1 (1st of season)

Special Teams

Luis Reyes converted on a 24-yard field goal in the 3rd and hit all 5 of his extra points. Yet another solid performance for the sophomore, who has firmly established himself as the Cats' kicker of the present and future.

Jordan Johnson punted the ball 3 times for a total of 115 yards. He also returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown in the 1st.

Zac Duncan: 4 kicks returned, 31 yards
Jordan Johnson: 1 kick returned, 93 yards, TD
Bryson Powers: 1 punt returned, 0 yards

Man of the Match

Jordan Johnson dipped into the well and pulled out 2 big plays. Just goes to show that anyone on this offense is capable of really going off.

I think with his kickoff return TD, the Cats broke the team record for most return touchdowns in a season. Michael Wirt had a pick 6 against Falls, Bryson Powers returned a punt for a score against Lakes, C.J. has his 2 kick return TDs, and now Jordan's on the board with that kickoff.

Honorable Mentions go to Nick Hooper, for stuffing the stat sheet as usual, and to Luis Reyes, whose transformation into a special teams weapon is just about complete.

Looking Ahead

In the 2014 regular-season finale, the Cats will head to the Berry Center where they will play host to Cy Springs on Thursday. Kickoff is at 7:00.

Cy Woods 38, Cy-Fair 31 (OT): Powers Island

2014 Record: 5-3, 5-2 in District 17-6A

Note: I didn't attend this game either, so everything will be from the box score. As much as I enjoy watching the Wildcats play... family first. I hope you understand.

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in October at Pridgeon, the Wildcats got themselves a crucial victory as they knocked off Cy-Fair 38-31 in overtime. With the win, they have a playoff spot all to themselves. They haven't formally punched their ticket to the playoffs just yet, but they're definitely in prime position.

For the first time since 2010, the Cypress Woods Wildcats had more points at the end of a football game than the Cy-Fair Bobcats. It's been a long time coming. This was Wildcats' 2nd overtime game in team history; I don't think you'll need much help remembering the first one.

The Wildcats won despite allowing 223 yards and 3 touchdowns to the district's leading rusher, Jacorey Aleem, committing 11 penalties and turning the ball over 6 times (3 interceptions, 3 fumbles lost). Sheesh. Penalties have been a significant problem for Woods all season, and, including this game, they've committed 9 turnovers in their last 2 contests. Somehow, they emerged from this game with a monumental victory. You know that old saying about how a good team is able to overcome their mistakes....

So, What Happened Was...

48 minutes was apparently not enough time for the outcome this game to be determined. No matter.

Well, the Wildcats had a rather inauspicious start to their afternoon as Aleem led off the game by slicing his way to the endzone from 36 yards out, and then after Nick Hooper was strip-sacked to end Woods' first possesion of the day, the Bobcats added a field goal, and before you knew it, the Wildcats were down 10-0. On the ensuing Woods drive, though, Nick atoned for that earlier mistake by punching it in from 10 yards out to put the Wildcats on the board for the first time.

End 1st: Fair 10, Woods 7

In the 2nd, Aleem struck again from 15 yards. Nick's 3 interceptions all came in the 2nd quarter.

Halftime: Fair 17, Woods 7

Cy Woods came out of the locker room guns blazing as they scored on their first 2 possessions of the 2nd half to take a 21-17 lead. Nick scored his 2nd rushing touchdown of the day from 17 yards out, and he found R.J. Harmon for a 31-yard TD reception. However, Jacorey Aleem would have the last word in the 3rd quarter with his 3rd touchdown run of the day. This one came from 5 yards out and gave Cy-Fair a 24-21 lead heading into the final 12 minutes of regulation.

End 3rd: Fair 24, Woods 21

Elijah Pierson kicked off the 4th quarter with an interception, and then on a reverse pass, Zac Duncan found Nick Hooper for a 6-yard touchdown pass to give the Wildcats the lead once more. All of a sudden, the game took a turn for the worse as R.J. Harmon coughed up the ball and Justin Burrell recovered the loose ball and scored for the Bobcats, giving them a 31-28 lead with 2:25 to go. The Wildcats suddenly had to mount up a response. They were able to move the ball, racking up 3 first downs in the process. However, Nick was dropped for a loss of 4 yards, which forced a 3rd and long, but a facemask penalty against Fair on the play breathed new life into the Wildcats' final drive and put them at the Bobcats' 20. However, nothing doing for them over for the next 3 plays, so... enter Luis Reyes. The sophomore came on to attempt the biggest kick of his young career.... and he nailed a 37-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in regulation.

End of Regulation: Woods 31, Fair 31

The Bobcats won the overtime coin toss, but they let the Wildcats have the ball first. 9 plays later, Nick Hooper punched in his 3rd rushing touchdown of the day from 6 yards out, topping that off by steamrolling Burrell to get in the endzone. Now... it was the defense's turn. 2 Aleem runs put the Bobcats in a 3rd and 6 situation from the Woods 21. Clayton Kopecky dropped back to pass, but Bryson Powers closed out the biggest Wildcat win of the season with his 2nd interception of the campaign.

Final in OT: Woods 38, Fair 31

Turning Points

1. With approximately 4 minutes to go in regulation, Nick Hooper appeared to have a 51-yard touchdown run... only to have that wiped out by a holding call. Because I was not at the game, I cannot speak as to how dubious that penalty was. That run would have given the Wildcats a 2-score lead, and overtime most likely would not have been needed.

2. Two plays later, R.J. Harmon fumbled the ball, and Cy-Fair's Justin Burrell returned the fumble for a touchdown, giving the Bobcats a 31-28 lead.

3. The Bobcats gave the Wildcats the ball to open up overtime. Well, their defense had been so good all season, but it's a double-edged sword when the offense that gets the ball is so explosive.

Ground

Of the 925 yards of offense amassed in the game, 596 of them were on the ground. 301 of those 596 rushing yards belonged to Cy Woods: Nick Hooper and Jacorey Aleem scored 3 touchdowns apiece for their respective teams. C.J. Jones recorded his 3rd 100-yard rushing game of the year, leading the team with 107 yards. R.J. Harmon chipped in with 98 on 14 carries, and Nick got 93 on 28 carries and scored 3 times; his 3rd turned out to be the difference.

Vine by Brian Sutton:


All statistics per TSRN.

C.J. Jones: 18 carries, 107 yards
R.J. Harmon: 14 carries, 98 yards
Nick Hooper: 28 carries, 93 yards, 3 TD
Zac Duncan: 1 carry, 7 yards

Air

Nick had a rough go of it, but then again, opposing QBs have been flayed alive by this Cy-Fair secondary. He threw 3 picks; 2 to Josh Curtis and 1 to Brandon Richmond. However, he found R.J. for a 31-yard TD in the 3rd. Zac Duncan is now 2-2 on the season with 2 touchdown passes. Efficient.

Nick Hooper: 15-26, 254 yards, TD, 3 INT
Zac Duncan: 1-1, 6 yards, TD

Tre' Hart, who transferred to Cy Woods from Louisiana last year, has emerged as a top target out wide in this offense. Nick has caught 2 passes this year, and both have been for touchdowns. Efficient.

Tre' Hart: 5 recs, 87 yards
Zac Duncan: 3 recs, 50 yards
Jordan Johnson: 2 recs, 43 yards
C.J. Jones: 2 recs, 0 yards
Chad O'Donnell: 1 rec, 34 yards
R.J. Harmon: 1 rec, 31 yards, TD
Taylor Tesch: 1 rec, 9 yards
Nick Hooper: 1 rec, 6 yards, TD

Defense

Danny Malone, special teams ace, recorded a big sack early in the 2nd quarter, which forced a Cy-Fair punt. The Wildcat secondary matched the Bobcats as they picked off Clayton Kopecky 3 times. The third one, by Bryson Powers, finished off the victory.

Sacks: Danny Malone 1 (8 yards lost)
Interceptions: Michael Wirt 1, Elijah Pierson 1, Bryson Powers 1; all of them now have 2 interceptions on the season.

Special Teams

Jordan Johnson punted once for 42 yards. Luis Reyes hit all 5 of his extra points, and he sent the game to overtime with his 37-yard field goal.

Johnson returned the 2nd half opening kickoff 31 yards, and Bryson Powers lost 10 yards on a punt return.

Other Notes

Normally when someone commits 4 turnovers, their confidence is supposedly so shot that they find themselves on the bench. Nick, though, showed tremendous character and poise in rebounding from those blunders. And eventually, he rallied his team to a huge win.

This is the 2nd time this season that the Wildcats have won a game despite committing 10+ penalties and turning the ball over at least 5 times.

Men of the Match

As much as I want to knock his grade down a notch with all the turnovers, it's got to be Nick Hooper. Because... despite the turnovers, he was never rattled, and he did not allow those mistakes to snowball into a total disaster. And eventually, when he got the opportunity to lead his team to a win, that's exactly what he did.

Coming into this season, Nick was expected to be a leader for this team, and he's more than delivered on that.

Another Man of the Match goes to Bryson Powers for the pick. And one more for Luis Reyes, who's been quite the find at kicker this season. Game hanging in the balance? Not a problem for him.

Honorable mentions go out to R.J. Harmon and C.J. Jones for their big days on the ground, Danny Malone for his sack early in the game, and Michael Wirt and Elijah Pierson for getting their 2nd picks of the year.

Looking Ahead

On Halloween, the Wildcats will be at Pridgeon for the final time this season as they host the Jersey Village Falcons. Kickoff is at 7:00.

Cy Woods 52, Cy Lakes 10: Preparing for the Playoffs for the Playoffs

2014 Record: 4-2, 4-1 in District 17-6A

Unlike last year's affair, where the offense struggled to get off the ground, the Cats raced out to a 28-0 halftime lead and were up by as much as 52-3 as they spoiled Cy Lakes' homecoming festivities, winning 52-10. The Wildcats had 4 touchdown drives of 3 plays or less. 

Yes, as we all know, Cy Lakes isn't a very good team, but the Cats didn't play down to their competition. They blitzed the Spartans early and often and ended up cruising to a big win, giving them a shot of momentum heading into their biggest 3-game stretch of the season, one that may very well define their season. They won a game that they were expected to win, and did so in convincing fashion.

So, What Happened Was...

The defense forced a 3-and-out to lead off the game. R.J. Harmon had a 33-yard catch on the Cats' first offensive play of the game, and two plays later, Jared Taylor opened up the scoring with a 9-yard run. After another 3-and-out and a poor punt that gave the Cats the ball at Lakes' 25, Tre Hart scored on a 12-yard pass from Nick Hooper. 

End 1st: Woods 14, Lakes 0

The offense had a couple more chances to extend the lead, but two of their drives were stopped thanks to a holding call and a sack to end the 1st quarter, and two straight 5 yard losses on their first possession of the 2nd quarter. The defense forced another 3-and-out, and Bryson Powers took a punt 75 yards for a score. The Cats' next offensive series lasted one play: Jordan Johnson caught a 60-yard TD pass from Nick. 

Halftime: Woods 28, Lakes 0

Nick kicked off the 2nd half by engineering an 80-yard scoring drive that culminated in him scoring on a 16-yard run. After yet another 3-and-out, C.J. Jones found the endzone once again, this time on a 38-yard run. The Spartans got on the board thanks to a 22-yard field goal from Marcos Staiano on a drive that was aided by a personal foul and a pass interference called against the Cats. On the ensuing kickoff, C.J. left everyone in the dust as he took it 80 yards to the house. 

End 3rd: Woods 49, Lakes 3

With just under 10 minutes left in the game, Luis Reyes connected on a 48-yard field goal, Cy Lakes, held out of the endzone for nearly 45 minutes, finally got in with a 3-yard run by Trevonte Delaney with a little under 4 minutes to go in the game.

Final: Woods 52, Lakes 10

Turning Point

In such a lopsided game, it could be tough to pinpoint the instance where the momentum of the game took a dramatic shift into one team's favor. But, I'll take a shot. On Lakes' 2nd possession of the game, the Cats forced them into 3 straight negative plays, and a poor punt gave the offense the ball at the Spartan 25. 2 plays later, Tre Hart scored on a 12-yard catch. 

Ground

Only 3 carries for C.J. Jones, but they all went for good gains, none better than his 38-yard scoring run in the 3rd. Interestingly, the usual suspects were rather quiet in the run game. 

Nick Hooper: 6 carries, 9 yards, TD

Jacobi Boudreaux: 6 carries, 27 yards

C.J. Jones: 3 carries, 61 yards, TD

Jared Taylor: 3 carries, 35 yards, TD

R.J. Harmon: 2 carries, 5 yards

Slade Ortiz: 2 carries, 1 yard

Mikey Roberts: 1 carry, 8 yards

Jordan Johnson: 1 carry, 6 yards

Reece Clark: 1 carry, 4 yards

Reid Epps: 1 carry, 2 yards

Zac Duncan: 1 carry, 0 yards

Air

A very efficient night for Nick Hooper, who started off by completing 8 of his first 9 passes. He found Tre' Hart for a 12-yard score in the 1st, and then in the 2nd, Jordan Johnson was on the recieving end of a 60-yard TD. Reece Clark was at the helm for Woods' final scoring drive, which was capped off by Luis Reyes' school-record field goal. Jordan Johnson also came in at quarterback deep into mop-up time, but he did not attempt a pass. R.J.'s lone pass attempt came on 4th down and was incomplete.

Nick Hooper: 10-13, 196 yards, 2 TD

Reece Clark: 4-7, 64 yards

R.J. Harmon: 0-1

R.J. Harmon: 4 recs, 60 yards

Zac Duncan: 2 recs, 35 yards

Taylor Tesch: 2 recs, 32 yards

Jordan Johnson: 1 rec, 60 yards, TD

Tre' Hart: 1 rec, 12 yards, TD

C.J. Jones; 1 rec, 25 yards

Cayden Sessions: 1 rec, 20 yards

Reid Epps: 1 rec, 11 yards

Cameron Jones: 1 rec, 4 yards

Defense

Even against a lesser opponent, and with the exception of a touchdown scored against backups, the Wildcat defense was ironclad, forcing 5 3-and-outs, 6 punts, and 2 turnovers. As you saw on Friday, they kept the Spartans off the scoreboard for the first 24 minutes. The 10 points allowed are a new season low. 

Wade Carson had a monster night as he posted a dozen tackles and 2.5 sacks. Randall Medlin had another solid night on the defensive line, as he recorded a sack for the 2nd straight game. 

Starting in place of Shane Lawless, Elijah Pierson recorded 7 tackles and returned an interception 20 yards. The Outlaw was in uniform but was held out. 

Through 6 games this season, Tyler Greaves has probably been the Cats' most consistent player on the defensive side of the ball; by my count, he's got 53 total tackles through the first 6 games of the season. He forced another fumble and teamed up with Wade to get a sack in the 2nd quarter. 

Tackles: Wade Carson 12 (7 assisted, 4 tackles for loss), Elijah Pierson 7 (6 assisted, 1 TFL), Tyler Greaves 6 (5 assisted, 2 TFL), Randall Medlin 5 (3 assisted, 2 TFL), Isiah Clay 5 (4 assisted, 1 TFL), Elijah Kinnison 5 (1 assisted), Bryson Powers 5 (3 assisted), Matt Swalm 5 (3 assisted), Justyn Johnson 4 (1 assisted, 2 TFL), Brandon DePrato 4 (3 assisted, 1 TFL),  Morgan Tosten 3 (all assisted, 1 TFL), Danny Malone 3 (2 assisted),  Myles Wilson 3, Michael Wirt 2 (1 assisted), Jake Jones 1 (assisted), Robert Barrientez 1 (assisted), Brandon Love 1 (assisted), Justin Lawson 1 (assisted, TFL), Davion Owens 1, Juan Goodman 1 (TFL), Zach Thornton 1 (assisted), Hayden Stoeber 1 (assisted), Jacobi Boudreaux 1 (assisted), Brandon Kula 1

Sacks: Wade Carson 2.5 (18 yards lost), Randall Medlin 1 (8 yards lost), Tyler Greaves 0.5 (6 yards lost)

Fumbles forced: Tyler Greaves 1

Interceptions: Elijah Pierson 1, Matt Swalm 1

Special Teams

Luis Reyes posted his 2nd 10-point game of the season. He made all 7 of his extra points and kicked a 48-yard field goal in the 4th quarter for the Cats' final points of the evening. Luis now holds the record for the longest field goal in team history; the previous mark was Nathaniel Crea's 47-yarder against Katy Taylor in the 2010 playoffs.

Luis Reyes: 1-1 FG (made 48), 7-7 XP

No punts! Well, the Cats did line up to punt once, but a botched snap resulted in Jordan Johnson scrambling for 6 yards, which was well short of the 1st down marker. (It was 4th and 23.) It's the 3rd time that Woods didn't punt the ball in a game; the other 2 instances happened in 2008 against Falls, and 2011 against Springs. 

Bryson Powers had a punt return touchdown erased against Falls, but he got his punt return TD in this game. This one went 75 yards and put the Cats up 21-0 midway through the 2nd. 

C.J. Jones returned his 2nd kickoff for a touchdown with an 80-yard dash in the 3rd, which came after a Lakes field goal. C.J. now stands alone; he's returned more kickoffs for touchdowns in a single season than anyone else in Cy Woods history. 1 more return for a score, and he'll tie Bryce Callahan's single-season record for return TDs in a season, whether it be punts or kicks. Bryce returned 3 punts for touchdowns in 2009. 

Bryson Powers: 2 punts returned, 76 yards, TD

C.J. Jones: 2 kickoffs returned, 95 yards, TD

Zac Duncan: 1 kickoff returned, 12 yards

Other Notes

It's fun when everyone on the roster gets in the game, isn't it? 

Skylar Schulz, one of the Cats' starting offensive linemen, was credited with a tackle.... for Cy Lakes.

History! The Greaves brothers, Tyler and Austin, became the first pair of brothers to appear in the same game for Cy Woods. 

You have to hand it to the Spartans. They'll be overwhelmed on most nights, but they'll fight until the clock strikes zero.

Man of the Match

Wade Carson wreaked total havoc on the Cy Lakes offense. As a unit, the defense was excellent, but I felt that Wade's effort in this game was especially noteworthy. He was in on pretty much every play, and he made a defnitive impact on this game.

Honorable mentions go to Luis Reyes for his 10-point game, Nick Hooper for a solid, turnover-free night, and C.J. Jones for providing his usual fireworks. 

Looking Ahead

A monumental 3-game stretch awaits the Wildcats.... the playoffs have come early in District 17-6A, and it's going to be a frantic final 4 weeks. Looming on the horizon for the Cats are Langham Creek, Cy-Fair, and Jersey Village.

Kicking off this veritable Murderers' Row is double homecoming with the Langham Creek Lobos! Homecoming VII will take place at the Berry Center on Friday at 7:00. The Wildcats are the home team in this matchup. The longest halftime ever awaits.